Would you consider the audio edition of The Silver Linings Playbook to be better than the print version?

I think that the audio version is great and helps bring the book to life.

What did you like best about this story?

The authors ability to have a sense of humor regarding such a serious subject and allow the reader to experience what the families and friends have to cope with.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think that he made the characters come to life

If you could rename The Silver Linings Playbook, what would you call it?

The Meaning of Time

Any additional comments?

The book was absolutely fantastic compared to the movie. The characters were real and not some Hollywood feel good interpretation. It shows you that people are still uncomfortable dealing with the mentally ill even though it's 2013!

I didn't know anything about this book until the movie came out, but I hadn't yet seen the movie when I decided to listen to the audiobook. I did so based on some of the reviews, but I didn't have real high hopes for it, since it appeared to be the typical quirky romantic chick flick story, albeit with a little twist (mental illness).

I was wrong. I loved it. It was sweet, but tragic, it didn't wrap things up too neatly in the end to be believable, but it did give you an ending you were happy with. It was funny, but sad. Crazy, but kind of normal. I loved the main character, and the narrator was excellent. The only thing I might change is that he had a tendency to occasionally speak in a more childish voice than I would have liked, when it comes to the main characters delusional thought processes, as if being bipolar makes you borderline retarded or something. Other than that, it was perfect.

I watched the movie afterwards, and though it did have a few major differences from the book, it was still a decent movie. I will almost always choose the book over a movie, though, and that was definitely the case here. I might actually even listen to this one again, at some point.

I was a little concerned when I purchased Silver Linings Playbook that it would track the movie directly, such that there would be very little point to reading it. My suspicions seemed confirmed for the first hour or so of the book. After that, it became clear that these characters are NOT the same as in the film, and the nuances of Pat's mental illness are much better described than they are in the film. You feel connected to him and his "silver lining" in a way the movie was never able to get across.

The first-person style of Silver Linings reminds me of a grown-up version of Perks of Being a Wallflower. The protagonist's voice is full of childlike emotion. Pat's matter-of-fact way of describing the chaotic events in his life is jarring and disorienting at times, but it makes the entire experience real. Each time Pat says, "I felt," "I thought," "I said," you become more and more invested in his quest.

The narrator of this audiobook is one of the best I've ever heard. It's the little things that count - emphasizing the words "Stomach-Master 6000" every time, the way he recites the "montage" scene, the way he gives each character depth and his or her own voice. I especially like the portrayal of Tiffany. It's hard for a male narrator to accurately portray a female character, especially one so atypical.

Long story shot: if you've seen the movie, don't expect a book about dancing, or even a book about football (although Eagles football comes up on almost every page). Dancing is a small plot device that brings Pat and Tiffany together in a visceral, emotional way. The vast majority of the book is not about success, and not about failure, but about family and love and making oneself whole. The result is noting short of poignant.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Silver Linings Playbook to be better than the print version?

Absolutely. Loved the print version but thought Ray Porter's narration was just fantastic. He brought the book alive in ways that reading it just couldn't. It also brought the story alive in ways that the movie wasn't able to do as well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pat Peoples. His general attitude as he progresses through the story is just great. Matthew Quick did a great job crafting such an interesting main character. <br/>

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The tones and emotions he conveyed brought the story alive for me. And, honestly, brought the story alive more than the movie adaption (which was great in its own right) I would tell anyone to read/listen to the book before seeing the movie, or, if you loved the movie, I think you'll like Ray Porter's narration of the book that much more.

If you could take any character from The Silver Linings Playbook out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Pat Peoples because I think you'd end up having a fascinating discussion and as a Packer fan, I'm happy he doesn't remember the 4th and 26 disaster.

Any additional comments?

I agree with several reviews that say that this story just makes you smile at the end. And, in today's world, smiling at the end of a story is always a good thing. You owe it to yourself to read or listen to this book.

Loved this book! It was hilarious, insightful, and sad...all at the same time. Although I don't think I suffer from a mental illness, I found it easy to relate to the main character as he went through all of the emotions of losing someone he loved.

The Silver Linings Playbook is Matthew Quick's stellar debut novel. The story is told by the main character Pat Peoples, as he releases from the ‘the bad place’ (neural health facility) in the care of his emotional Mother and remote Father. Pat believes in silver linings; that his life is a movie produced by God, he is extremely focus on recreating himself by becoming physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki, ending their “a part time”. Into his life comes Tiffany; a tragically over sexed clinically depressed widowed with a rather demanding condition, to act as a liaison between him and Nikki …needless to say, things don't go quite as she expects. The characters are complex, flawed and a little bit crazy.

The Silver Linings Playbook will warm your heart, make you chuckle and may bring a tear to your eye.

After reading the book I rented the movie and was sadly disappointed - I would give it 3 stars – I felt the movie was jumpy and hard to follow, way too much yelling in amongst the characters, the changed quite a lot of the story line. Too bad Hollywood ruined story. They left some of the best parts of the story out.